Personnel: Muddy Waters (vocals, guitar, slide guitar); Jimmy Rogers, Johnny Winter (guitar, slide guitar); Walter Horton, Jerry Portnoy (acoustic & electric harp); Pine Top Perkins (piano); Bob Margolin (bass); Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (drums).
Also available in a 3-pack with HARD AGAIN and KING BEE.
Personnel: Muddy Waters (vocals, guitar, slide guitar); Muddy Waters; Bob Margolin (bass guitar); Johnny Winter (guitar, slide guitar); Jimmy Rogers (guitar); Jerry Portnoy, Big Walter Horton (harp, harmonica); Pinetop Perkins (piano); Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (drums).
Audio Mixer: Chris Theis.
Liner Note Author: Bob Margolin.
Recording information: 11/1977.
Photographers: David Gahr; Richard Avedon; Walt Casey Jr.; Jim Marshall .
For the middle album of his Johnny Winter-produced, late-'70s musical trilogy, blues giant Muddy Waters brought a new spirit to some familiar material. Starting with members of Waters' touring band -- pianist Pinetop Perkins, bassist Bob Margolin, and drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith -- Winter added underrated guitarist (and longtime Waters foil) Jimmy Rogers and extraordinary harp player Big Walter Horton to the mix. The songs recorded for I'm Ready offer a mix of new material and vintage hit singles like the title cut, the mid-'60s jewel "Screamin' and Cryin'," or the Willie Dixon-penned "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man." Waters and band provide these well-worn gems with a little new studio polish, but it is with the newer songs that the performers really shine. On the powerful "33 Years," Waters punctuates his tale of lost love with snaky slide guitar, assisted by Horton's wailing electric harp. "Who Do You Trust" features some of Waters' dirtiest vocals, the bluesman growling the lyrics while Winter layers his twangy slide above Horton's harp and Perkins' mournful ivories. "Rock Me" is old-school blues, Waters revisiting this classic cut for the umpteenth time as Rogers and Horton support his vocals with smoky guitar and guest player Jerry Portnoy adds some subtle but assertive electric harp to the affair. I'm Ready closes with the Sonny Boy Williamson chestnut "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," the high-spirited Waters sounding in good form as Portnoy's harp flails away in the background. Although nearing the end of his career, Waters experienced a well-deserved artistic and commercial resurgence thanks to the three albums recorded with Winter for Blue Sky. Hard Again, I'm Ready, and King Bee all bring a harder edge to Waters' classic performances, with Winter's production heavy on the guitar and lighter on the brassy Chicago blues sound unfamiliar to the rock-oriented target audience. For new listeners trying to get a feel of what the blues is all about, I'm Ready and its bookends are the albums to start with. Once you experience a taste of Muddy Waters, you'll be ready for more. ~ Rev. Keith A. Gordon
Muddy Waters brought the Mississippi Delta blues sound to Chicago, electrified it (literally and figuratively), and made history. There is not a blues performer, or blues-oriented rock performer (the Rolling Stones got their name from a Waters tune), or "roots"-oriented performer in any genre who does not own something to Muddy Waters. In the late '70s, Waters' fire had not only not dimmed with time; it was burning hotter than ever, and he KNEW that he ruled the world. The man sang with passion, yet had the easy confidence of a person who knew his racket backwards and forwards. Here, he's backed by some young guns, Johnny Winter and Bob Margolin; as well as older (but still firm) hands, Walter Horton and Jimmy Rogers. The program holds few surprises--it's mostly blues standards, making clear that it's not what you say, but how you say it. No new ground is broken--I'M READY gets its fire from a big, craggy yet good-hearted voice that can stop you in your tracks, surrounded by players whose hot sound can cut through you like an icy wind. Recommended to old fans and neophytes alike.
I'm Ready, the second of Muddy Waters' recordings for Columbia's Blue Sky imprint, like its predecessor was produced by Johnny Winter, who also guests on guitar here. While Hard Again showcased a reinvigorated Waters at the peak of his blues power as a singer and bandleader in the company of former employee James Cotton, I'm Ready also reunited Waters with former friends and collaborators. Along with Johnny Winter, guitarist Jimmy Rogers from Waters '40s and '50s bands was recruited for the session, as was Chicago blues harp legend Big Walter Horton. Filling out the date were Waters' road guitarist Bob Margolin (playing bass), drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, pianist Pinetop Perkins, and Jerry Portnoy also playing harp on a few tunes. The three-guitar front line on these sides is what immediately marks it. The interplay between Rogers and Waters made it sound like 20 years had never passed. Rogers ability to come down always on the right note and create memorable riffs to accompany Waters' razored percussive attack is astonishing here, as is Winter's ability to play around the outside, on the fringes, and rein it all in with his burning fills. Horton's playing here is utterly inspired and the listener can feel this band stretching to meet Waters' energy. As they do, his own willingness to break the mold grows exponentially. The material comes from the heart of Waters' catalog, as well as the Chicago blues canon in the form of tunes by Willie Dixon and Sonny Boy Williamson. The title track, which opens the set, is a case in point. Rogers trademark riff at the beginning is played lower and meaner and Waters comes roaring out of the box like an uncaged tiger. In addition, both Horton and Portnoy play harp on the tune and set the entire record reeling into the stratosphere from the jump. It's an auspicious beginning, and a high watermark, but it just gets better. Margolin's bass playing is reminiscent of the old-style Chicago blues and works its magic in the pocket. As the anchor of the rhythm section, he probably surprised himself with his performance on these tunes. There isn't a weak moment on I'm Ready, but there are some clear standouts apart from the title track -- Waters' "33 Years," the houserocking blue-black blues of Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Koochie Man," and the in-the-grease "Screamin' and Cryin," which offers a stellar vocal performance by Waters. (Bob Dylan's emulation of this singing style in his blues-oriented material is unmistakable.) In addition to this scorching set, in full remastered -- but not remixed, thankfully -- glory, are an addition 15-and-a-half-minutes of music in the form of three bonus tracks -- a stinging version of "No Escape From the Blues"; a slow, snakey "That's Allright"; and an earthshaking "Lonely Man Blues," to breathlessly close it all. Add to this Margolin's wonderfully candid liner notes that offer not just factual but anecdotal information and an intimate portrait of the session and you have a reissue that's superior to the album it represents. ~ Thom Jurek minimize